Page 111 of Third Strike Smitten

Fucking Christ, don’t tease me like this and then leave me hanging.

…literally.

She licks her lips and then nods her head. “One hundred percent.”

“Then I’ll hold you to that,” I vow, righting her and stealing one more quick kiss before releasing her. She steps back, smoothing down her shirt with a smirk that tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing to me. The team erupts in hoots and whistles, and I flip them off with a grin.

“You two are disgusting,” Sebastian calls out, though there’s nothing but affection in his tone.

“Fuck you, asshat. You’re just jealous.”

“Food’s ready!” Sutton announces to the yard. “Come and get it.”

The team descends on the spread like vultures, loading up plates with burgers, hot dogs, corn on the cob, potato salad, and of course, Mackenzie’s famous baked beans. Shepherd and Sutton move through the crowd like seasoned hosts, making sure everyone has what they need.

Isla appears beside me with two loaded plates, handing me one with a smile. “Thought you might be hungry after all that grilling.”

“Starving,” I say, taking the plate and pressing a kiss to her temple. “Thanks, Coach.”

We find a spot on the grass under the shade of Shepherd’s oak tree, our shoulders touching as we eat. Around us, the team settles into comfortable groups; Brock and Kyler arguing about football plays, Sebastian holding court with some of the younger guys, Bishop and Mackenzie laughing over an inside joke.

“Your family’s pretty great,” Isla says between bites, watching the scene with a soft expression.

“They’re your family now too,” I tell her, nudging her shoulder with mine.

She doesn’t respond to that, but I catch the way her eyes glaze over before she blinks rapidly and takes another bite of her burger.

I want to ask her what she’s thinking, but I don’t. Instead, I watch her profile as she takes another bite, the way her freckles catch the sunlight filtering through the oak leaves, the slight unevenness of her shoulders that most people wouldn’t notice but I’ve memorized like the back of my hand.

“Family’s important to me,” I say instead, keeping my voice casual. “Always has been.”

She nods, swallowing her bite. “I can tell. The way you all are with each other...” She gestures vaguely at my brothers scattered around the yard. “It’s nice.”

“Even when they’re being complete assholes?”

“Especially then.” She smiles, bumping her shoulder against mine. “It’s the Haynes way, isn’t it? Love disguised as torture?”

I laugh, surprised at how perfectly she’s nailed it. “Pretty much. We’re not exactly a Hallmark family.”

“Hallmark families are boring,” she says, her gaze following Bishop as he trips over his own feet trying to impress Mackenzie. “This is better. It’s…real.”

I set down my fork and look at her. There’s a wistfulness there that I’ve noticed before but never quite understood. Like she’s watching something she wants but doesn’t believe she can have.

“Hey,” I say softly, “You okay?”

She blinks. “Yeah. Just…thinking.”

“About?” I press gently, setting my plate aside.

She shrugs, tracking Bishop as he trips over his own feet again. “This is nice. All of you together like this. It reminds me of...” She trails off, her fingers playing with the bracelet I gave her.

“Of what?” I ask, nudging her knee with mine.

“Of what I used to have,” she says quietly. “Before.”

The word hangs between us, weighted with meaning. Before the accident. Before she lost her father. Before her life changed irrevocably.

“What’s your family like now?”